a Malaysia for Malaysians

1 ) Excise duty specific on cigarettes increased by three sen

2 ) A bonus of one-month salary, subject to a minimum of RM1,000 for 2008 payable in 2 Installment

3 ) Tax rate for individuals be reduced from 28% to 27%, effective the year of assessment 2009

4 ) Households which incur monthly electricity bills of RM20 or less, will not have to pay for electricity, for the period from 1 October 2008

5 ) Additional Tax rebate of RM 50.00 from RM350.00 for those earning below RM35,000 per annum.

6 ) Again Special Allocation : Sabah to get an additional allocation of RM580 million while Sarawak will get RM420 million for upgrading infrastructures.

7 ) The total expenditure was set at RM207.9 billion for 2009 compared to RM176.9 billion in 2008 (see above chart)

8 ) Toll Charges for Buses slashed by 50% expect at entry points in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Johor Causeway and Secondlink.

9 ) Economy will grow by 5.7 percent this year and by 5.4 percent in 2009 (much higher then forecast by MIER)

Download Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi Speech in pdf format